This year’s early access at Sturgeon Point has been a gift, giving perch enthusiasts a head start. Anglers are already boxing out with 50-fish limits (per person) in short order, sure proof that the spring perch bite is alive and well.

When successful anglers are willing to share some of the important details, it helps to dial in the early season perch pattern and then everyone has fun. In the eastern basin, early-season perch often school in 40-50 feet of water, sometimes deeper depending on temperature swings. These fish hold tight to the bottom and bunch up. When you find them, you’ve generally found the motherlode.

Top gear and rigs are generally simple. Most folks either use commercially tied (wire style) crappie rigs for perch fishing, or they tie their own from fluorocarbon line to create two or three hook perch rigs as the standard. Hooks are thin wire No. 4 or 6 with sinker weights of one to three ounces (bell sinkers).

Line is 6-10 pound mono or 10-15 pound braid with a fluorocarbon leader for sensitivity. Using emerald shiners and occasional plastics, too, Bob Kubiak and his son Colton filled the cooler quickly last weekend off Sturgeon Point using 3-hook perch rigs, No. 6 hooks and 2-ounce sinkers in 55 feet of water.

Photo courtesy of Bob Kubiak There is nothing more fun than the excitement of a youngster like Colton Kubiak with a 3-for-3 hookup with Lake Erie yellow perch.

Bait choices should always include emerald shiners as the king, but soft plastics can be deadly when the fish are aggressive. Golden shiners can work too if the fish are not picky. The techniques that fill the cooler are not complicated. A vertical presentation from man anchored boat (or anchor lock with an electric motor) with the rigs kept just off bottom, understanding that perch rarely chase far in cold water. Add subtle jigging from time to time, gentle lifts and taps outperform aggressive motion. Add controlled drifts if the wind allows, and you can cover lots of water to find the fish, and then anchor up. Electronics can be the key for locating tight schools in deeper water.

In addition to Sturgeon Point, Captain Tom Miranda of Pole Dancer Charters (716-531-6683) shared that anglers can launch at the Town of Hanover site at Sunset Bay in Irving. Bathrooms are open now too, though the fish cleaning station is not yet in service. Miranda continues to put clients on daily limits when lake conditions allow, another sign that the eastern basin is firing on all yellow perch cylinders.

Remember that the daily limit is 50 yellow perch per angler, no minimum size, but be easy on your cleaning chores — let the little ones go. Always check current NYSDEC updates before heading out.

From lake to table, handle your catch to keep it healthy. To make the most of a limit catch on the water, keep the fish cold and dry. Once you get home, fillet them, don’t put it off. Then vacuum seal or freeze in water-filled bags with the date on the bag. For best taste, use within 3-6 months.

A simple recipe follows here for the “Classic Lake Erie Perch Fry.” Ingredients include 1-pound perch fillets, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt and paprika, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and two eggs, plus some oil for frying. Heat the oil to 350 degrees as you mix the dry ingredients, but keep the flour separate. I put the flour into a plastic bag and drop the fillets in, then shake to coat them with flour. Remove one at a time and dip the fillets in the egg, then into the cornmeal dry ingredient mix to coat the fillets. Next, into the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden. Serve hot with lemon and tartar sauce (or ranch dressing to be simple).

Yum!

The spring yellow perch fishing fever is a tradition for many, and it can yield these tasty golden rewards. From Sturgeon Point to Dunkirk, the eastern basin of Lake Erie is delivering exactly what perch anglers wait all winter for: steady action, full coolers, and the kind of days that turn into bedtime stories that can last a lifetime. Time to get after it.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

April 14: Children in the Stream, Youth Fly Fishing program, free, Costello Room, Rockefeller Art Center, SUNY Fredonia, 7-8:30 p.m., 12 years old and older, info: 716-410-7003 (Alberto Rey).

April 16: Southtowns Walleye Association, monthly meeting, 7 p.m., 5895 Southwestern Blvd, Hamburg.

April 16: WNY Spring PRISM Partner Meeting, 9:30 a.m. to noon, SUNY Fredonia Science Center, Kelly Family Auditorium (Room 105). Optional — Tour of Royal Fern Nursery. Register: https://www.wnyprism.org/spring-2026-partner-meeting/.

April 17-19: NYS Conservation Council Meeting, Register at https://www.nyscc.com/spring-mtg-2026. Cost: $35.

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Submit calendar items to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com at least 10 days in advance.